An English-language blog on current affairs in the Republic of Moldova.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Thunderer of Chisinau

During the 19th Century, the Times newspaper of London came to bear the nickname of "The Thunderer" for its strident editorialising. Chisinau also has its "Thunderer", appropriately named "Timpul" (The Time) and which is every bit as opinionated as its English cousin.

Timpul was established in 2001 by Constantin Tanase and a group of colleague journalists fleeing from Iurie Rosca's "Flux" publishing house. Tanase was one of the first to figure out Rosca's real intentions and decided the time was right to establish Moldova's first truly independent newspaper.

Funnily enough, the founding of Timpul came just as the communists were acceding to power, and Timpul has been their nemesis from that day to this. Not an asset has been stolen or a cultural value trampled on without Tanase and his team taking Voronin's gang to task. It has often been a lonely fight and Timpul has experienced many dark days.

Whilst not as news-rich or immediate as Jurnal de Chisinau or Unimedia, Timpul has excelled in its analyses and in its opinion pieces, establishing a fine journalistic tradition in this area. It has been a tireless promoter of Moldova's Romanian heritage and of Christian values.

I want to give you just a single quote from today's issue: "Don't lose your capacity to be indignant in the face of evil. A journalist who loses this quality becomes an accomplice of the evildoers." This is evidence of Mr Tanase's worldview - he's a crusader for what is right and noble, something many of us would aspire to be.

Timpul turns eight on Monday. Many, many happy returns to Mr Tanase and his team.